Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 6: Bocchi

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

As soon as the small rider walked into the bar, a waitress grabbed him into a hug. "Oh my, Hong, look who’s here!"

The waitress named Hong was leaning against the bar, smoking. When she saw the small rider, her lazy eyes immediately lit up. "Bocchi, you’re looking more and more like your father."

She then turned her gaze toward Ma Lu, who was standing nearby. "You’ve made a new friend. A fresh face—first time at Little Bear Bar?"

Bocchi struggled to free his face, which had been squished by the waitress’s ample chest. In just a short moment, his face had turned bright red from his ears to his neck. He huffed in frustration.

"I’m a customer. Fa Ya, Hong, you should show me some respect."

"Yes, yes, of course. So, what would our esteemed guests like to order?"

"Two Bobo Wines to start, and a serving of Pan-Seared Sandfish."

Bocchi picked a table by the window and sat down. Shortly after, Fa Ya came over with two large glass mugs.

"Here’s your Bobo Wine." The waitress deliberately leaned closer to the little boy, and as she bent down, Bocchi's view was filled with a large expanse of cleavage. Fa Ya playfully winked at him. "Enjoy~"

"How boring." The little boy was unmoved.

Meanwhile, Ma Lu couldn’t wait to start drinking.

He had been baking in the desert, his throat parched for ages. Even though being inside The Giant Screen meant no more direct exposure to the twin suns, the Traveler’s Bracelet still showed that the surrounding temperature was a scorching 37°C.

It wasn’t until he had gulped down half a mug of icy wine that Ma Lu felt revived. Then, he let out a soft "Hmm."

The slightly golden liquid in the mug was undoubtedly alcoholic, but it wasn’t made from grains or fruits that Ma Lu was familiar with.

It had a sour and bitter taste, along with an indescribable strange flavor. The texture was somewhat similar to homemade fermented milk drinks, the kind that not everyone would enjoy.

But everything changed with the addition of those mysterious little spheres floating on the surface.

At first, Ma Lu thought these semi-transparent spheres were the familiar popping pearls found in milk tea. However, upon closer inspection, he realized they weren’t inanimate.

They weren’t completely still in the glass, but instead moved slowly, their movement masked by the motion of the liquid.

It wasn’t until they slid into his mouth along with the drink that the mysterious little spheres began to dissolve, releasing sweet juice.

The sweetness not only neutralized the sourness of the wine but also blended the bitterness and the strange flavor into a new, almost absinthe-like aroma.

Seeing Ma Lu’s expression of surprise, Fa Ya covered her mouth and laughed. "Little Bocchi, your friend is quite amusing. Is this his first time drinking?"

"I’ve had alcohol before, but this is the first time I’ve tasted something so unique," Ma Lu replied honestly.

"What’s so unique about it? Bobo Wine is the most common drink; every bar in the city sells it," Bocchi said.

"Speaking of which, Captain Li seems to really like Bobo Wine too. He orders it every time he comes here. As far as I remember, he’s never drunk anything else," the waitress reminisced.

"When the Harpist Hunting Party was promoted to Diamond rank, Captain Li threw a celebration and bought out all the Bobo Wine in the bar. Everyone was so drunk that even the boss climbed onto the bar to show off his bear dance. Ah, those were the days..."

"Enough." Hong stubbed out her cigarette and interrupted Fa Ya. "Let the poor kid have some peace. Stop nagging like an old lady."

"Ha, who are you calling an old lady?"

Just then, new customers arrived outside the door, so Fa Ya grumbled and went off to attend to them.

Relieved from the harassment, Bocchi propped his chin on his hand and looked out the window. The neon lights reflected his profile on the bar's glass, making him appear a bit lonely.

Bocchi reached out and casually drew a sand dune on the dirty glass.

However, halfway through his drawing, he noticed Ma Lu out of the corner of his eye and paused.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to see if I can take it to-go."

Ma Lu was scooping the small spheres from his glass into a plastic bag.

Bocchi was a bit speechless. "Give it up. Honey Geckos only lay their eggs in places below 23°C. Once the temperature exceeds that, the eggs will instantly dissolve. Where are you even from, that you don’t know such basic knowledge?"

"Yeah, I just got here not too long ago, and there's a lot I need to catch up on."

Ma Lu scooped twice, but found that he couldn’t get the spheres into the plastic bag. Every time his hand got close to the bag's opening, an invisible force would push it back.

It seemed that this Collection Bag could only hold unprocessed ingredients.

So Ma Lu put down the spoon and leaned toward Bocchi, poking the little boy’s shoulder. "Since we’ve got nothing better to do, tell me more about The Giant Screen and the hunting parties."

Bocchi took a small sip of Bobo Wine, and the redness that had just faded from his neck started to creep back up.

"The Giant Screen is located in the desert, where the soil and high temperatures make it hard for plants to grow. Fortunately, many animals live beneath the endless sands, so most of the food in the city comes from hunting. The hunting parties are small groups of hunters who go out of the city to hunt."

"Are there different ranks for hunting parties? You mentioned something about diamonds earlier—what level is that?" Ma Lu continued to ask.

"Very strong. Currently, there are only four hunting parties in The Giant Screen that have successfully reached diamond rank."

"Ah, so the Harpist Hunting Party is pretty impressive then. That Captain Li you mentioned earlier, is he your father? Where is he now?"

"Dead." Bocchi replied expressionlessly. "About three years ago, they went out to hunt a Golden-Spotted Cheetah, and there was an accident. Most of the hunting party, including my father, died."

"So after that, you took over the Harpist Hunting Party? But it seems like you're not the captain."

"Because I was still in school at the time, I asked Uncle Gu Li to temporarily manage the Harpist for me."

"Gu Li? Oh, you mean that square-faced guy we met earlier. It seems like you have quite a bit of conflict with him."

Bocchi took another sip of wine and, in a rare moment, admitted, "It’s my fault. For the past three years, Uncle Gu Li has been working hard to support the Harpist. I've seen his efforts with my own eyes. The conflict between us ultimately comes down to the fact that I’m too weak. I can’t keep up with the others."

As he spoke, his grip on the glass tightened, his knuckles turning white.

"You're weak?" Ma Lu was surprised. "You lifted me off the ground and onto the motorcycle with just one hand."

"Strength, speed, stamina, reflexes—these basic physical attributes are important, but for a hunter, the most crucial thing is Psychic Ability."

"Psychic Ability?" Ma Lu raised an eyebrow. "Earlier, I saw someone who seemed to tear the sandstorm apart with his bare hands. Is that an application of their Psychic Ability?"

"Exactly. He has a very rare wind-based Psychic Ability—Wind Control. And he's still young, with limitless potential. Uncle Gu Li wants to train him to become the deputy leader of the Harpist."

"So, what is your Psychic Ability?"

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